Africa Travel Guides

Archive for the ‘Adventure Travel’ Category

Tenerife is the largest and most populated member of the Canary Islands. Over the years the region has made the descent from mysterious island to luxurious holiday destination. If you are looking for things to see and do on this gorgeous slice of earth’s tropical islands, Tenerife holidays 2012 are hot.

1. Masca Valley. This is one of the most popular destinations to visit in the Canary Islands, and it certainly is the most famous in Tenerife itself. Masca Valley is a gorgeous tropical canyon riddled with small roads. If you are not up to the task of driving a truck or van through the tiny routes, it is best to opt for a smaller vehicle. There is a village in the middle of the valley, as well as a small pool at the base of the gorge. You may walk down trails from the top to the bottom of the gorge, but beware! The trails are very steep, and the driving is tricky, so take your time while sightseeing here.

2. Loro Parque. Among the famed ecological tourist attractions of the island, Loro Parque showcases the beauty and wonder of the world around us. There are activities for guests of all ages, from young children to adults. They boast orca shows, gorilla enclosures, and of course, parrots (Loro Parque is translated ‘Parrot Park’).
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One of the most beautiful adventure in Madagascar is to descend the river in a canoe Tsiribihina traditional. The trip takes 3 days, during which you can enjoy a variety of landscapes. In Miandrivazo, 235 km from the capital, Antananarivo, is easy to find guides in the area willing to join you. This is where the adventure begins.

The boat, with room for up to 4 passengers and the guide can not rush down the quiet river. A paddling times, and sometimes simply carried away by the current, one breathes the true spirit of the island’s wild.

On the banks of the river is easy to see small lemurs, monkeys Popular endemic of Madagascar, and birds of all colors, herons, ducks and humpback Fishers, for example, following the canoe in his quiet way.

When night falls, travelers ride the tent and the guides prepare a cozy fire and food to regain strength.

In the morning, early, they start their new declining. Sometimes you can observe crocodiles fleeing, elusive, for any contact. Be not afraid.

The guides know the fauna and flora of the area and have not stop singing ancient legends and traditional songs. During the day, also made stops in small hidden waterfalls and indigenous villages, where the traveler is seen as a curious novelty.

No doubt, lovers of photography on this route are a paradise. For others, it’s a good idea to take a book and enjoy the tranquility of its waters, while listening, by far the most unknown animals.

Three days after leaving Antsiraraka is reached, a larger town, where the traveler is received with good food and simple but pleasant showers. There, resting in a wooden hut is a good time to remember one of the most beautiful routes of Madagascar.

Mountain bike safaris are an exciting way to explore the unique and stunning landscape of South Africa. Whether you are walking quietly in the bucolic vineyards by bike or sprinting through the dense forest, can always be sure to experience a bit of adventure and sports in a fun and in harmony with the spectacular scenery.

The best thing to one of our safaris in mountain bike is the luxury of having the opportunity to ride a bike when you takes your fancy. If the ground is not to your liking or have tired than expected, has the opportunity to continue his journey with our guide and the comfort of a fully equipped support vehicle.

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What better way to experience the magic of Africa Wildlife camping under the sky, sitting around a campfire and enjoying the spectacular sunsets!

There are three types of camping safaris in Africa, can take part in a semi participation mobile camping, a mobile camping safari without the participation or a named senior tented safari camp in the normally flies from one camp to another.

You can join in one of these Camping Safaris groups:

Small groups: Our philosophy of offering regular camping safaris for small groups (maximum 10 participants) distinguishes its jurisdiction Jenman Safaris, which operates with much larger groups.
Vehicles: Jenman African Safaris Safari works with vehicles 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers tailored to meet our needs.
Facilities: Our camping safaris are designed for the comfort of our customers and therefore we supply all camping equipment including tents weather-resistant with comfortable mattresses.

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This landlocked province between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south is an area of wide, open spaces – an immense rolling prairie, checkered with farmsteads and windmills.

Hospitality is one of the province’s prized assets and a Free State farm holiday offers a unique opportunity to get to know the friendly people who inhabit this region. One of South Africa’s major rivers, the Vaal the flows through the province and there are attractive holiday resorts near two of the river’s largest dams.

The mountains of the eastern highlands harbour romantic hideaways and rugged hiking Park in the trails. The Golden Gate National Park in the north-east, with its spectacular sandstone formations, an area of scenic beauty, has a network of nature trails and provides the opportunity to see a variety of antelope and birdlife. The adjoining Qwaqwa National Park is sanctuary to rare species of vulture.

Other protected areas include the Mount Everest Game Reserve at Harrismith and the Seekoeivlie Nature Reserve, a birdwatchers’ paradise near the small town of Memel. Qwaqwa and many other parts of the Free State are home to the South Sotho people and their culture can be appreciated at the Basotho Cultural Village.
Capital of the Free State is Bloemfontein, known as the ‘City of Roses’

Sir Francis Drake described it as “the fairest Cape in all the circumference of the World.” Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, offering outstanding interest and variety to the visitor. Blending the old with the new, it has a relaxed, almost continental atmosphere that will charm even the most sophisticated jet-setter.

East of Cape Town are the famous winelands, around the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl. The old estate houses are built in the attractive Cape Dutch style and there are plenty opportunities for sampling the vintages. To the east of Cape Town, set along a rugged coastline, are a number of quaint fishing villages and picturesque resorts.

Further into the interior is Namaqualand, a semi -desert area until the rains of June or July turn the arid countryside into a spectacular floral splay in August or September.

Kango CavesEast of Cape Town is the Garden Route. Indigenous. forests, lakes, golden beaches and mountains contrast with semi-arid expanses. This enchanting area stretches along the South Cape Coast from the town of Heidelberg, eastwards to the Tsitsitkamma Forest and Storms River. Riverdale, Still Bay, Albertina, Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay are some of the towns that are included in this area. Inland from the Garden Route is the semi-desert Little Karoo, the location of ostrich farms, particularly around the town of Oudtshoorn. In the Swartberg Mountains are the spectacular Cango Caves, with their limestone formations.

There’s nothing tame about sports angling off the coasts of South Africa, with fishing trips often taking on a tough, pioneering atmosphere. At least 250 species of fish are caught by sea anglers. Where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents meet near the Cape of Good Hope, a greater concentration of game fish can be found than anywhere else in the world. The Cape is famed for its concentration of large tuna, including the albacore, yellowfin and southern bluefin, whilst the recently discovered populations of swordfish have drawn international attention amongst the world’s big game fishing fraternity.

There are about 750,000 marine anglers in South Africa and the staging of regular tournaments has been well-developed throughout the region – so the infrastructure for angling is excellent, with accommodation, charter boats, party boats and specialist guides available at most venues. There are some important fish runs which take place.

The highlight of the Sardine Run (June), along the Natal coast, is the hordes of feeding game fish and sharks. In the summer, tuna and king mackerel abound, while the autumn and winter brings huge runs of snoek. Inshore there are opportunities for freshwater fishing all year round. Trout fishing is also available in various places from September to May.

There are four categories of diving:

Tropical reef diving- Sodwana Bay (on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal) is similar to the Florida Keys in the USA while Aliwal Shoals (on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal) is where divers look for ragged-tooth sharks.

Wreck diving – The rugged Cape Coast is notorious for the number of sunken ships;

Cape Diving – Conditions here vary from those in KwaZulu/Natal and compare favourably with those off the California coast in the USA. Diving for abaloni, crayfish and great white sharks is popular. Tsitsikamma Coastal Park offers excellent opportunities for underwater photography with two underwater diving trails.

Shark dives – Sharks migrate through False Bay, at the Cape, from June to August, and ragged-tooth sharks move into the Durban (KwaZulu/Natal) area from October to January.

More than 10,000 scuba divers are trained in South Africa each year and over 100,000 dives took place in the coral reefs of the St Lucia Marine Reserve in a single year.

The Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe has a curious history. It formed a bastion between Portuguese and British ambitions during the colonial period, and has a geographic distinction that tends to cast it in shades of Avalon rather than the central heartland of Africa.

It is a beautiful region of green forests, rolling hills and occasional rugged mountain peaks. It has in the past attracted a more genteel class of colonist – the Bengal Chancers as they were once known – and there are still clear shades of old-world gentility evident all over the Vumba Mountains of Zimbabwe.

The Vumba is a small part of the long chain of mountains that define the eastern border of Zimbabwe. It is situated on the edges of the Manicaland provincial capital of Mutare, and is a favorite getaway for the Harare business and political elite, and is a mixture of gorgeous scenery, casino hotels, golf courses and tucked away country lodges and hotels with a distinctly non-African flavor.

This is the surface impression however, for in fact the Vumba is a quintessential African highland environment, with large expanses of open moor and grassland punctuated here and there by dense forests and thickly wooded gullies and water courses. The resemblance to the English countryside is superficial, and on closer examination the proliferation of tropical birdlife, the striking color infusions of wildflowers, blue skies and verdant green all speak undeniably of the tropics. This is one of the most scenic quarters of southern Africa, and justly deserves its reputation as the most beautiful and best kept secret in the region.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK AND PRIVATE RESERVE

• The accommodation in the private reserves is more luxurious and more personalized service.
• The package includes meals is better than in the Kruger National Park.
• As the number of clients in the private reserves is usually limited to 18 guests, there are fewer vehicles when they see an animal in the park.
• Also included are night safaris in private reserves.
• In the private reserves may leave the animal tracks to follow, allowing longer observation and more closely.
• Private reserves are in the same area as the Kruger National Park and there are no fences between them.

We recommend a mixture of the two options, or if time is limited, 2 or 3 nights in a private reserve. It is a unique experience.